35.

The throne was cold against my legs and exposed back as I settled into its comfort. Grown tired of standing while I waited, I sat upon the black throne to relieve myself of some of my exhaustion. The red bloodstone was warm in my palm and I rubbed it with my thumb. My eyes never left the cold body of my doppelgänger. The blood had stopped spreading from the wound in her chest, the edges of the pool beginning to dry a sickening bubbling black. I did not dare to remove the dagger, for until she was burned there was still a possibility it's removal result in her rebirth.

The stone throbbed, demanding attention. I nibbled my cheek and after only a moment gave into its demands. Hastily, I tied the stone around my neck before I second guessed my decision. As soon as the stone met my skin, warmth, unlike anything I had felt before, sent shivers through my body. The power that surged from its surface was both hot-spiking my blood like a drug, and cold-my muscles freezing over and tingling as if on ice. The stone shone erratically until the power settled over my body and it matched the rhythm of my heartbeat.

Apart from the feeling of infinite power, I did not feel any less myself than I had since I first entered the Fae world. Just as I began to ponder over the possibilities The Umbra's power could bring, Blake re-entered the room, Alvar and Lucius following close behind. I froze in my seat. Alvar's face was a swollen mess of blood, his lips lost in the blood that poured from a crocked nose and eye's hidden behind swollen sockets that threatened to swallow his beautiful iris' whole. Lucius was just as bad, if not worse. They had shaven his head, aggressive strokes stripped parts of his scalp completely and others leaving chunks of red hair; blood dying the blonde strands.

Alvar's eyes locked onto mine and despite the extreme swelling he smiled. He began to run towards me. My heart could have burst, but the power inside me most certainly did. With each step Alvar took, a part of him was healed. His cheeks were rid of bruising, his eyes escaping from the swelling, and his skin cleared as the blood was reabsorbed into his skin. By the time I was being wrapped in the familiarity of his arms, he was the Alvar I knew and loved.

Stunned by my own revelation, my lips froze as Alvar leaned down to kiss me. After the moment of shock passed, I melted against him. The sensation brought by his soft lips was more powerful than any of the power I had been gifted, or ever would be gifted. No matter what world I eventually chose as my own, I knew I must have him within it.

A small grunt tore us a part, but we remained touching, our chests pressed up against one another.

"Sorry, Lucius." I laughed and flicked my hand in his direction.

From my finger tips, my power surged towards the Faerie. It enveloped Lucius like a blanket, cloaking his bruising with golden light. Upon closer examination, I realised the light wasn't golden; it was a strong mix of red and gold, emerging as a play on strawberry blond hair, curling around the Faerie like a hungry animal upon a carcass. Lucius' hair grew back instantly, long blonde hair sprouting down nearly to his knees before I pulled the power back into my body.

I felt no different than before, no energy depleted in the slightest. In fact, healing Lucius and Alvar had brought an intoxicating cocktail of emotions that but the spring back into my step. It was as if I hadn't just killed another being or used the last of my reserves to heal Beast and myself. Lucius laughed loudly and tossed his new hair off his shoulders, as if he hadn't just been beaten bloody.

Once Lucius had finished laughing and Alvar stopped staring at my face, an awkward tension settled in the air. I realised only then that I was not wearing a shirt and the fight with my other half had torn my sports bra almost completely off. My pants were also torn and although the wound on my stomach was gone, blackened blood remained spread over my exposed belly.

Alvar tore off his coat, quickly draping my upper body in a thick leather jacket.

"It's spread." Alvar's voice was horse.

I frowned and lifted my hand to my face. Alvar was staring at my cheeks and his hands had begun to stroke my temples.

"What has?"

"The patterns on your horns. They're on your cheeks and temples now."

I felt around my face and realised he was right. Under my fingers, I could feel the swirling patterns spread across my cheek bones and the tops of my temples, spreading across the tops of my eyebrows.

"Huh." I said softly, and shrugged.

"And your eyes." Alvar whispered, suddenly withdrawn.

"What about them?"

"One is red."

I blinked rapidly and shook my head in disbelief.

"What?"

"He is right, Lyra. The stone has granted you The Umbra's powers, as I suspected. With that, comes her characteristics as well as her abilities. Your gold eye will remain that way as long as you have control over The Anima's abilities as well."

Although I should have been more concerned about how frightening I would look when I visited my family, my mind was far too occupied by the circumstances to which I had to use these new abilities. Breaking down whatever spell The Anima put up would be no easy task.

"Where is Beast?" I asked Blake, deciding to not entertain my appearance for now.

"Gathering the rest of the people outside, as you asked." He bowed, much to Lucius' amusement. "How would you like the body transported?"

For the first time since they entered the room, Alvar and Lucius seemed to suddenly realise there was a dead body on the ground. Alvar's arm tightened around my waist, no doubt frightened by the likeness of our two bodies. If I hadn't any horns, there would be nothing to tell us a part.

"Have the Wraiths make a platform somewhere out of sight out of fire wood, then they can put the body atop and set it alight." I paused and waited for any of the men to disagree or challenge me. "Then I want the ashes bottled and brought back to me. I know just the place to keep it safe. But I wish to speak to the people first before I go about burning the body. Blake, I need your help concentrating their aggressions onto The Anima and the people she has no doubt gathered back on the First."

Blake nodded and briskly left the room in search of the wraiths. Turning to the Fae men, I smiled.

"Time to go meet shadows then."

No less than thirty minutes later I stood, Alvar and Beast by my side, on a raised platform above the gathered shadow people, numbering less than five thousand. I had been dressed in deep brown pants and a long sleeve black shirt. Blake had informed me that most of the shadow people already resided in Earth, hidden in dark pockets, and the population here had been slowly killed off by The Anima for years before our arrival. This was our fighting force, all we had to bargain our lives and the lives of all humanity upon. I hoped it would be enough.

I gritted my teeth and delivered the half-lie, keeping the death of their queen a quiet suspicion until we escaped.

"The Umbra and The Anima powers have been merged into this body. We finally have the power to break free of this place and stop this war."

There was a mixture of reactions amongst the crowd. Some shook their heads and sighed, others grinned and cheered and others said nothing, narrowing their eyes in suspicion. Blake warned against detailing Ly's death, knowing there would be immediate distrust. I didn't blame them. For so long, they had been brutally attacked due to their nature and forced into hiding. Even worse, the entire First plane believed them to be monsters, for the elite painted them as villains and murders to fulfil their own plans of domination.

"Now," I projected my voice with my power, ensuring it reach every ear within the crowd, "I don't expect you to die for this war, there has already been enough death. But I do expect you to fight for your freedom!" A few cheers sounded and I spotted Lucy, bright pink jacket shining, at the front of the crowd, "I expect you to fight for your children, so they can grow up in a world where they are not prisoners, where they are not shunned by their neighbours."

As the cheers rose, so did my confidence. The script Blake had given me felt natural, like it was meant to be said by me. The stone warmed on my chest, enthused by the rising of the people. The shadows bumped each others shoulders, whispered in agreeance and clapped in excitement.

"Today I am going to open the portals and we can unleash The Reckoning! If you want vengeance, here is your chance to take it."

"They killed my boy!" Someone called from the crowd, enticing angry shouts.

"And they killed my wife!" More angry shouts.

"They burnt my entire village and killed all the children! There is nothing left for us here because they took it all!"

I let the hatred simmer and glanced down at Beast. He seemed uncomfortable by the display, but pleased it was working. I couldn't imagine how it must feel to see the injustices caused by your own people. I waited while people chimed in with their own input, demanding vengeance for the death of loved ones or the destruction of their homes.

"You don't deserve this." I called to the people, "You deserve to live as equals. We will target the nobility and strip them of their rights. I urge you not to kill these people," Outcries interrupted my sentence, and I held my hands up to explain, "That would just be too easy. Their despises will inevitable gain the means to raise them from the dead and we will be back to square one. Instead, capture these people who killed your children and burned your homes and we will send them to a prison of their own, one where death is impossible and they can suffer for eternity."

It felt strange, using words of a dead woman, a shadow of myself. But this was the only way the people would listen. The plan was to leave this world and enter the First, capture the Duchess and The Anima and duplicate the spell used to keep the shadows inside their plane. I had no idea how we would achieve it, but Blake ensured me he would explain at a later time, after the people were rallied and unaware of the queens death.

"Today, we will break out of this prison!" The cheers got even louder, championed by the tiny Lucy, pumping her fist from her pink jacket.

"Today, we take back what is rightfully yours; freedom!" Blake's script was working; the people were not against us. Rather, they jumped and cheered, ready for the possibility of escape and a new and better life.

"Today, all who are capable will fight against The Anima, The First Fae, the witch who banished you here, so she may never do this again to your kind! Today is for all of you and all of the children that are to come! This isn't just their world, its yours too."

The cheers increased until they were deafening, the combination of cries of anguish and of accomplishment. The people stamped their feet, shaking the ground with each step. They would have their war, but now it was my turn to make a move. I had to take down the barrier and reinforce the portals.

The people began to disperse, chattering like sparrows. Collectively, they made they're separate ways to the corrupt border by the lake. When they were finally gone, I collapsed into Beasts fur and pulled his feathered neck tight against my body.

"You god damn scared me, Beast. I thought you may have been dead."

"I knew you were alive," He grumbled softly, "or I would have been dead."

My fingers tightened around his neck at the thought of losing him. If it were possible, I squeezed him even tighter. The possibility was made all the more terrifying with the fact that he was a part of my soul. Losing him would mean losing a part of myself.

Something small, cold and wet nudged my side. I peered out from Beasts fur to see the giant black wolf pawing at my feet. He was nervous, his eyes staring straight down into the ground in submission. I extended my hand slowly and let my fingers pass through the soft fur of the wolfs neck.

Noir pressed himself into my hand and whined.

"It's alright, Noir. We are not going to hurt you."

I pressed gently into his mind and pushed calmness upon him. He relaxed immediately and perked up. Moving his body so my hand was now patting his head, his tail began to wag as I scratched his ears.

"Lyra, the ashes have been bottled. Where would you have us bury them?" Blake had scurried up the platform steps, his cloaked arms hanging drearily at his sides.

"Have the wraiths put it in a secure bag. Beast will be carrying it back to the First. I will not have her buried here."

I could see Blake wanted to protest, but he did not. With a nod, he briskly left me to my two powerful creatures and the dilemma's that occupied my waking thoughts. 

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Hey guys, I know this update is shorter than usual but i'm doing a double update this week still be making it u to you :)

Comment your thoughts!

Vote if you enjoyed :)

xx Charli

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